


I Don't Want To Stop

by abeth_zuppa



Category: Final Fantasy IX, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Genre: Gen, Late Night Conversations, Mr. Rogers comforts Vivi, This is just an excuse for me to write a Vivi story, i really don't know how to tag this, talking about death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25140658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abeth_zuppa/pseuds/abeth_zuppa
Summary: During the first night at the Black Mage Village, Vivi talks to Mr. 288 about "stopping" and receives a visit from a stranger. Written in celebration of Final Fantasy IX's 20th anniversary.
Kudos: 10





	I Don't Want To Stop

**Author's Note:**

> The FF9 characters and some pieces of dialogue do not belong to me. They belong to the creators of Final Fantasy IX.

Vivi quietly talked to the innkeeper and left the inn. He had told him that he was going for a walk, “to think for a little”, leaving Zidane and Dagger alone. 

The Black Mage Village was gently glowing with a pinkish hue coming from a few of the houses. All of the black mages had gone to bed for the night. Vivi walked around, the cool air sending a small shiver through his body. He made his way to the graveyard that the other mages had erected in the town. 

When he got to the cemetery, he was surprised to see Mr. 288 standing there, watching the pointed hats move softly in the breeze. Vivi adjusted his own hat before going to talk to Mr. 288. 

“Hello. Nice to see you again,” Mr. 288 said upon hearing Vivi’s footsteps on the dirt. 

Vivi took a deep breath in, trying his best to calm his nerves. 

“Um...Mr. 288, I wanted to ask you something. Um - I was wondering how many people have...stopped...moving.” He had been scared to bring up what was on his mind since he and the others had talked to the mages earlier in the day. 

Under the brim of his hat, Mr. 288 smiled. 

“You’re very kind to use our words.” His smile faded. “But you already knows what it means to live...and to die. You’re asking about our friends who have ‘died’, not ‘stopped’.”

Vivi shook his head. He had wanted to avoid hearing the actual word. Mr. 288 continued talking, keeping his eyes on the grave markers. 

“Seven of our friends stopped functioning recently. I think our lifespan is limited. I’ve - I’ve suspected this ever since the first once came to a stop.” The smaller black mage noted a change in Mr. 288’s voice. 

“It varies a little, but most of us stop moving one year after production.”

Vivi shook his head. He couldn’t believe that the lifespan of his new friends was that short, nor the fact that his lifespan could be that short as well. 

“I haven’t told anyone else about this. If I did, they’d feel the same way I do…”

Vivi was puzzled. 

“What do you feel?” He wanted to know if Mr. 288 had similar feelings to him about the subject. 

Mr. 288 turned away from the graves of his friends, trying his best not to cry in front of Vivi. 

“I don’t know...Fear? I - don’t want to stop. And maybe I want to run away from it all.”

A small smile appeared on his face, attempting to mask the sadness. 

“But living in the village with everyone fills me with joy. The joy of living with them far outweighs the fear of death.”

He stood to look at Vivi. Mr. 288 noted the younger black mage trembling a little. Under the hat, Vivi bit his lip, doing his best not to start crying in front of the older black mage. 

“Isn’t it the same for you?” Mr. 288 said. “Travelling with your friends gives your life meaning.”

Vivi didn’t know what to say to that. Mr. 288 put a hand on Vivi’s shoulder. 

“Take all the time you need to think, my friend.” And with that, Mr. 288 walked back into the village to head to bed, leaving Vivi alone in the cemetery. 

*****

Vivi sat down on the ground in front of the wooden poles, marked with the pointed hats that had belonged to his fellow black mages before they “stopped”. 

_I wonder when it will be my hat there._

The conversation with Mr. 288 had answered some of Vivi’s questions. He knew now that he and the other mages had a limited lifespan. He also knew that Mr. 288 was afraid of “stopping” - dying - too.

_Mr. 288 is bigger and older than me. I thought adults weren’t supposed to be afraid of anything. Mr. Steiner and Freya and Quina aren’t scared of anything. Even Zidane and Dagger aren’t. So why am I so scared?_

He started to trace patterns in the dirt when he heard the sound of footsteps. 

*****

Vivi expected to see Zidane or Dagger coming towards him. But - this person was someone he didn’t know. The man that was at the entrance looked older than Steiner. His hair was short and gray. He had on strange clothes - a red sweater, pants, and shoes with laces on them. His face was kind and soft, with wrinkles around the eyes from years of smiling. 

“I’m sorry I interrupted you.”

Vivi quickly realized that he had left his mage staff in the inn. “Um - who are you?”

The man smiled warmly. 

“It’s okay. My name is Mr. Rogers. What’s your name?”

Vivi was confused. Zidane had warned him after what happened in Dali not to speak to strangers. But - something about Mr. Rogers made Vivi feel at ease, even peaceful. His worries had gone away once the stranger had shown up. 

“My name’s...Vivi.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Vivi. You may not believe it, but I was sent to talk to you.”

“What - what do you mean? Like, an angel?”

Mr. Rogers took a seat next to Vivi. “I guess you could say it like that.”

The two sat next to each other, letting the sounds of the night fill the silence. 

“I heard you talking with your friend about something that was worrying you,” Mr. Rogers said. 

Vivi started fidgeting with his fingers. He didn’t know Mr. Rogers very well, but something about his presence made the black mage feel like he could trust him or that he had known him for years. Mr. Rogers reminded him of his late grandfather in a way. Before he knew it, Vivi started talking about what was on his mind: his friends, his travels, and how he ended up here in the Black Mage Village. 

“I - I was talking to Mr. 288 about…,” he hesitated. “About dying.”

Mr. Rogers, who had quietly listened to Vivi, acknowledged what the mage had said with a nod. 

“What are you feeling inside?”

Vivi paused. “I’m...I’m scared...about dying…”. The little black mage started to cry. “Will it hurt? Will I know I’m dying? How will my friends feel?”

Mr. Rogers sat in silence next to Vivi. This small child had seen many people that he had just met “stop” right in front of him in a rather scary way. He was scared and confused, especially since he had been told by the other black mage that he would only live for another year or so. 

“It’s okay to feel scared, Vivi. And there’s a lot that you and I or Mr. 288 don’t know about dying. Did Mr. 288 talk about how he feels?”

The black mage sniffled. 

“He - he said he feels scared too. But he’s an adult, and adults aren’t scared of anything.”

Mr. Rogers paused for a moment before responding. 

“Everybody gets scared sometimes, even Mr. Steiner and Freya.”

“Do you get scared, Mr. Rogers?”

“I do. There’s lots of things out there that make me feel scared. Sometimes we see bad things happen, and it’s easy to feel scared and upset.”

Vivi hesitated. He had seen some bad things happen on his travels with his friends, and they made him feel upset. Watching the black mages on the cargo ship being taken out by the Black Waltz had sent him into Trance, but he didn’t like the feelings that had accompanied it: fear, anger, sadness, shock. 

“What do you do when you feel scared, Mr. Rogers?”

Mr. Rogers clasped his hands together, thinking about how to respond. 

“Well - when I was little, I saw and heard some things that made me feel worried. I talked to my mother, and she said to look for the helpers.”

“The helpers?”

“Yes. They help those who are hurt. Maybe it’s a doctor, or a family member, or a friend. But whenever someone is hurting, physically or emotionally, there is usually someone there that helps them to feel better.”

Vivi pondered what Mr. Rogers said. _Someone that helps them to feel better._ “Mr. 288 said that he feels scared about dying. But, he feels happy that he has lots of friends here in the village. And that living with them outweighs the feeling of death.”

“Mr. 288 must be a very smart person. From what you talked about before, it sounds like you have many friends that love and care for you,” Mr. Rogers responded. “The friends you’ve made in this village, the friends you’ve made on your travels. Mr. Steiner, Freya, Quina, Dagger, and Zidane. And I consider you my friend too, Vivi.” 

The black mage reached under his hat to wipe his eyes. Mr. Rogers placed a gentle hand on Vivi’s small shoulder. 

“How are you feeling, Vivi?”

“I - I think I understand. There’s - a lot I don’t know. But, I’m happy I could talk to you about what I was feeling.”

Mr. Rogers smiled. “Everyone has lots of ways of feeling and all those ways of feeling are fine. It’s what we do with our feelings that matter,” he said. “You don’t have to know everything now, but you can always know what to do when you have these feelings.”

He stood up from where he was seated next to Vivi. He reached out his hand to help Vivi back up as well. The black mage wiped his hands on his jacket and readjusted his hat. He felt tired and cold from sitting outside, but talking to Mr. 288 and Mr. Rogers made him feel warm inside. He had a lot to think about as he started to head back to the inn for the night. 

“Wait, Mr. Rogers!”

Vivi turned around, but Mr. Rogers was gone. Vivi rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had just imagined the whole thing. 

*****

Zidane and Dagger were talking to a black mage near the entrance of the village about any sightings of Kuja when Vivi ran up. 

“Wait, I’m coming too!”

“Are you sure, Vivi?” Dagger asked. She and Zidane thought that he would want to stay in the village with the other mages. Besides, they were the first mages that looked like him and responded to his questions. 

“Yeah. Everyone in the village asked me to see the outside world and tell them all about it,” he said. 

After Quina joined up with the three of them, they started to head out of the village back to Conde Petie. As they walked through the forest that hid the Black Mage Village from outsiders, Vivi looked back. 

“Thank you, Mr. Rogers,” he whispered to himself. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 20th anniversary to my favorite game of all time, Final Fantasy IX!
> 
> Something in my heart told me that Vivi would talk to Mr. Rogers about life and death and Mr. Rogers would comfort him. I've had this idea for a few months now, but I decided to sit down and write this in one day. It might not be perfect, but I'm happy I was able to get this out. 
> 
> Thank you for reading. Please comment, ask questions, and provide constructive criticism. 
> 
> Ellie (abeth_zuppa)


End file.
